Pentateuch
by Ikonopeiston
Summary: Bonus chapter, this time from a different POV. Still AU.
1. Chapter 1

**PENTATEUCH**

**GENESIS**

She had heard about him. Who on Spira had not? He was the miracle man, the one who had survived not only a direct attack from Sin but the experimental surgery of the Al Bhed. Some spoke of him as a near deity; other seemed to think him a monster. Few held no opinion. It was a strange sort of tribute that he aroused such strong and disparate emotions in so many.

Paine thus had no difficulty in recognizing the tall man talking to the two younger ones who were paying careful attention to his words, totally transfixed by his gaze. She stood unnoticed for a while, examining those who were to be her teammates.

There was one short blond who kept rocking back and forth, his fingers fidgeting in an intricate dance of their own. By his hair colour, she pegged him as an Al Bhed and was curious as to how he had managed to get a place in the Squad which was supposed to be so elite. The other youth had cotton white hair and a soft face with a grave expression. He did not look like a Warrior but perhaps he was the possessor of some special skill which would be useful to the force.

Then there was the older man, who must certainly be the one known as Nooj. Yes, there were the machina limbs, glinting in the feeble sunlight, less noticeable than she had expected them to be, the cane which he obviously needed for support and the intricately looping hair, its unlikely length shaped into braids and falls with one chin long curtain half shielding his face on the right side. He was just as the rumours had him, tall and dark with broad shoulders and a slim waist. She had forgotten about the spectacles which served to hide the expression in his eyes and make him more mysterious than he had to be. As she watched, the two younger men made what seemed to be half-way involuntary bows to the other and set off down the lower path on some errand Paine was not to know.

She took a deep, steadying breath and strode toward the man she had identified as Nooj.

"And who are you?" he asked. His voice was a pleasant low baritone, cool and precise.

"I'm Paine. I'm the recorder assigned to your group." She lifted her sphere device as her credential.

"Oh. I hadn't realized we qualified for one. I thought only the most promising teams got a recorder."

"This team isn't promising? I'd think any crew with you leading it would be at the top."

He frowned at the flattery, then raised a brow and looked down at her with a certain mockery. "You overestimate us. We have a failed priest, a one-eyed Al Bhed, an untried woman and a cripple - that's not exactly alpha material. You're probably the pick of the lot as far as fighting goes. And you're a recorder." His laugh was harsh and bitter.

"You don't have much respect for women Warriors, do you?" She lifted her lip in a snarl.

"On the contrary," he responded testily. "I've fought alongside some remarkable women. But I don't know you and your skills. Anyway, you're not here as a Warrior; you're a recorder, a reporter, something of a spy, I think. Are you also a fighter?" His tone was neutral, even somewhat uninterested.

"I've done my share with a sword and earned my place in battle." She was surprised by the sudden flash of pain in his eyes behind the wire-framed spectacles.

"I was a swordsman before..." He gestured at the left side of his body and the machina prosthetics which replaced his arm and leg. "I wish I could give you a try-out in that discipline." He seemed to hear his own words and drew himself up, the moment of humanity fugitive and his cool professionalism reasserting itself.

She caught the mood immediately. "Yes, sir. Have you any orders?"

"Not right now. We'll be camping here until we're ordered to march out. Have you been issued all your supplies?"

-X-

She had quickly become aware the Baralai and Gippal found one another's company more agreeable that that of any other. It was not that they were unfriendly, on the contrary they were excellent comrades. It was that she knew during leisure times they were longing to be alone together; the fleeting glances they shared were ample proof of that. So, as they found private places to share, Paine was more and more left to engage Nooj in conversation when the team was at rest.

"Tell me about your experiences as a Warrior." He seemed truly interested.

"I always wanted to be a Warrior, so my Da gave me a little dull blade when I was five. He and my uncle sparred with me and taught me 'til I was old enough for formal training."

"Did you go to one of the academies? I'm sure I would have remembered you if you were at school with me."

"No, I had private coaches and passed my boards. Then I went various places as a merc. Did all right; I never lacked for offers." She looked up at him with a challenge in her eyes.

"Have you ever fought Sin?" His voice was neutral, just asking.

She shook her head. "Not yet. I was on the edge of it sometimes but never got more than a passing look."

"Count yourself lucky. Let me see your hands." He held out his left palm, hidden by the black leather glove. It seemed to be a test.

Without hesitation, Paine placed both her smallish hands in his large one, immediately feeling the inhuman cold of the machina even through its covering. He bent closely over her hands, peering through his spectacles. After a moment he ran his right forefinger over the calluses evident on her pale skin.

"You use a two-handed sword." It was not a question; he knew. "That was my weapon as well - back in the day." His voice drifted off as though he was dreaming ... or remembering;

She remained silent. One thing experience had taught her well - it was better to be still than to blurt our thoughtless words. She sensed that his loss of the ability to wield a sword was a continuing pain to him and did not know what to say that would not make it worse.

Nooj folded her hands together between his own. "Maybe we can do some purely defensive sparring soon. I'd like to see how you handle your blade. Different ways of fighting always interest me."

"I'm at your service, sir," she responded, then blushed as the double entendre hit her.

His mouth twitched into a brief quirky smile. "Are you indeed?" He did not release her.

Paine let her fingers relax in his grip. Strange feelings were running through her body. Without consciously willing it, she leaned forward toward him. They were frozen in the pose for a timeless period. Then it was as if a shock ran through them both. Nooj opened his hands and let her fingers free. Paine jerked back and stood in the same movement.

"Well, I'll be checking our equipment. The others should be back soon."

He began struggling to his feet. "Yes, do that. I need to sign in at headquarters and see if any orders are in the offing."

-X-

In the following days, a palpable tension became evident between them. It seemed as if an invisible cable was drawing them together. The air was thick with promise which buzzed against their skin with a humming sensation. Baralai and Gippal appeared to be oblivious to any change in the atmosphere which was a great relief to Paine.

She found herself watching Nooj whenever he was busying himself around the camp. The awkwardness of his gait seemed oddly graceful and moving to her and when his gaze rested on her form, she felt a tightening in her breasts and a pulse-like throbbing in her groin. She had known desire before but never this intense longing for one given man to the exclusion of all other thought.

Of course they still met to converse while Gippal and Baralai were away. During these times, they kept to safe topics and touched only rarely. Still there were strange, silver times when her eyes dazzled. She moved across a glittering stage which was both familiar and alien. At no time did she think Nooj was exempt from the same sensations. She could see in his eyes and hear in his voice that he was being affected too. He cleared his throat more often than was usual and his words were less fluent than when he was speaking to the team as a whole. He either avoided her gaze altogether or she was pierced by the twin needles of his eyes which seemed ready to drain her spirit and being like vampires seeking her blood.

If their fingers met lightly, she expected to hear the sharp snap of an electrical spark, so charged was the moment. At night, in bed, she dreamed of his presence and thought sometimes she could feel his body beside hers and his cold metal hand on her breast. During the day, when her attendance was not required, she started a regimen of vigorous physical exercise, running and other methods of tiring herself and distracting her mind. It did not greatly help.

Around the evening campfire, when the team gathered to share what news they had collected during the day, she formed the habit of sitting a little aside, just out of the revealing light of the blaze. There she could look at Nooj without his being aware of her obsession...she thought. She could watch the reflection of the flames off his spectacles and see how the flickering illumination painted the planes of his face and the made the metal of the machina copper instead of steel. At times, when the light on the lenses over his eyes masked them, she wondered if he was looking at her. Most of all, she wondered what would happen next - and when. The days in the camp had taken on the aura of a time outside of time, an endless period of suspension.

-X-

"Paine, this cannot continue. Neither of us is getting our proper work done or concentrating on our duties. How long has it been since you cleaned and checked your camera? Or since I made detailed plans about shaping this team into a viable force?" He paused and looked over her head into the far distance. "I know very well that I am no longer the man I was but I think you do not find me completely repellent." Again a pause, but this time he was obviously waiting for a response.

They were alone in a small canyon just off the Mushroom Rock Road. He had suggested they do a bit of exploring instead of chafing at the enforced idleness of the days.

Paine looked up at the tall man and with careful deliberation, placed her hand on his left arm, feeling the coldness of the machina against her palm. "Repellent? No. Not ever. Not even a little. You are Nooj, the Warrior and the hero. I am honoured to be a part of your team."

"Only that?" His mouth twisted into a wryly humourless smile. "I had thought I sensed something more."

Paine had to speak past a sudden thickness in her throat. "You're not wrong. I wasn't sure..." There was a roaring in her ears.

Their eyes met for an eternal moment. He seemed disbelieving and hesitant. The woman made her decision, reaching up to link her fingers behind his neck and draw him down to her. Or did she pull herself up to him? Seemingly without conscious awareness, their lips met and parted so that their tongues twisted together in that intricate dance of connection and desire. She tasted the richness of his maleness and felt his hands caressing her body.

"Don't stop." She gasped, trying not to disengage her lips from his.

He continued to stroke her, cupping his right hand on her breast and rolling the nipple between two fingers. In response, she arched her pelvis against his, rubbing against the tumescence in his groin. The heat of his living flesh ignited her own body and she felt a warm wetness between her legs.

"Would you rather we find a dark place so you don't have to look at my body?"

She leaned back, leaving their lower parts tightly pressed together. Her words came in broken breathy chunks. "You idiot! I've been looking at your body for weeks. I love your body. And I don't want to wait for you to find the absolutely perfect place for us to ..." She blushed and hid her flaming face against his chest, breathing the fragrance of his skin.

"Then come to that grassy spot we found earlier." There was a burble of humour in his voice. He led her a short way back and that which had always been meant to happen, happened.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

1


	2. Chapter 2

**EXODUS**

"So, the orders have finally come?" Paine turned lazily and nestled her head on his good shoulder, wrapping her arms around his chest and speaking blurrily against his throat.

"I should have waited to tell you. It's not fair you get information first just because we share a bed." Nooj paused to nuzzle her head and draw her closer. "But since I mentioned it ...yes. We leave in two days." He caressed her with the cold machina hand and she shivered deliciously before responding with her own wandering fingers.

Some time later he murmured, "We really should get up now and tell the others what's going down. Mustn't forget we're a team and shouldn't have secrets."

She stretched and stroked his face. "I think they're trying to keep a few secrets from us."

"Not very successfully, you think?"

She laughed softly. "Not successfully at all. And here I thought as the only woman in the team, I'd have to fight for my virtue."

"Disappointed?"

"Not a bit."

"Ready to get up?"

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Then move!"

"You first."

-X-

In less than a week the teams of candidates for the Crimson Squad had been landed on the desert shores of Bikanel and had begun their training for their future positions in the elite cadre.

Paine was accustomed to shifting from one location to another; her chosen profession had dictated that. Life since she had become independent had been a series of packings up and moving ons. What made this move different was that she had a companion on her journey.

She had been chary about entrusting her heart to anyone so the relationship with Nooj was both new and alarming. He was a puzzle to her, guarding as he did his emotions and being sparing in his conversation. The events of his life had made him cautious in his manner, always alert to whatever revulsion his half-machina body might engender.

No matter her efforts, Paine has been unable to convince him that he was not a repellent sight to her. She found his entire person to be so endlessly fascinating and so overwhelmingly attractive that she was continually bewildered by his attitude. It had become a constant challenge to force him to commit to a normal relationship and leave off being so defensive.

On a more practical plane, the rigors of training were mitigated by the growing ease among the four teammates. Shortly before they had left the mainland, Gippal had approached her.

- -

"Paine, we need to have a talk." He was always forthright in his manner so she was not surprised that he did not indulge in a long lead-up like many would have done.

"OK. About what?"

"We're about to get started on whatever it is they're planning for us to do and I'll bet we're going to be cooped up tighter than ever, sooo..." He drew out the word and took a deep breath. "Look, Baralai and I know you 'n Nooj ..." He paused and began again. "We know you and Nooj are, well, a pair like me and 'Lai." He shut his lips firmly and folded his arms across his chest, seeming to wait for her to say something.

"You just now noticed that?" She raised her brow and folded her arms in a mirror of his gesture.

"Not exactly. You and him were being very private about it and it didn't seem polite to mention it."

"Like you and Baralai were making out in public?" There was no escaping her mockery.

Gippal flushed, whether in irritation or embarrassment was impossible to say. "Well, anyway, I thought it would be a good idea to get it all straightened out and in the open before we started the hard parts."

Paine relented. "You're absolutely right. It's a good thing we managed to pair off like we did. Takes care of any friction in the team. Does Baralai know you've talked to me about this?"

"I told him I was going to. He's too shy to discuss things like this so I said I'd do it. You OK with everything?"

"No reason I shouldn't be. Nooj and I are fine and looks like you and Baralai are too. This shouldn't have any impact on the team. You won't have to worry that Nooj will try to protect me if we run into danger. I'm just the recorder and not on the front lines. Besides, he's a real professional. That's another thing, you know he's the natural leader for our team?"

Gippal nodded, his face serious. "I know and so does 'Lai. We've been treating him like the boss and it might be a good thing to make it official. I'm a good fighter but I don't know anything about strategy and regulations and that sort of thing and 'Lai's a former priest, a junior one at that."

"OK. I think we should elect Nooj chief at the campfire tonight. That'll get order established before we set out."

- -

She smiled when she remembered that conversation. It had set the tone for the rest of the preparations. She had told Nooj about the arrangements that same night, after he had been prevailed to accept the de jure as well as the de facto leadership of the little crew. He had kissed her and sighed, "I thought we were being so discreet."

The training on the desert range consisted of a series of exercises, each testing a different set of abilities and skills. The aspirants to the Crimson Squad remained divided into teams of three fighters and one recorder, separate but not isolated. After each day's trial, the leaders of the various teams would each take his recorder's sphere and deliver it to the commanders where he would receive the particulars of the following day's testing.

On this particular day, the test involved limited ammunition in an area swarming with fiends. Only the leader of each team knew that this was the test; the other two fighters were expected to notice the shortage and cope in some manner. When Nooj had told her about the arrangement the night before, Paine had thought it was bound to get dangerous until he assured her that the fiends in this area were mostly smaller and weaker than the average. It was a test primarily of resourcefulness, not courage.

Gippal and Baralai, fighting shoulder to shoulder as usual, found themselves running out of bullets at the same time and set themselves to managing the problem as best they could. Paine's recording captured their almost panicky voices on the sphere. Since they were facing somewhat smallish fiends, she had no doubt they would be able to handle the situation. She grinned rather cruelly at the thought of Baralai's soft hands clutching the scaly neck of a little monster and wringing it.

Nooj was also beginning to meet with trouble. He had abandoned his cane of a necessity, needing both hands to raise and aim his gun. Therefore his gait on the sandy terrain was more uneven than usual, particularly in those areas where the sand was not firmly packed. It was in just such an area that he, like the others, found himself out of ammunition. As Paine swung her recorder around, trying to collect all the information the designers of the exercise would need to evaluate the work, she watched in horror as her lover dropped his empty weapon and lurchingly advanced toward the monstrous fiend which confronted him.

It was a rare beast, a creature with huge claws and more teeth than she had ever seen, a grendel or a grothia, her mind stuttered helplessly, foolishly as she stood paralyzed for a long moment. Then she drew the pistol from her hip and fired. Either consummate skill or a lucky shot rewarded her and the monster fell. Her muscles felt lax and trembling with relief until she saw Nooj's expression. His face had twisted into a mask of rage. She had never seen him like that before and she did not understand. The violent words he aimed at her vibrated against her ears, the substance not making its way to her brain. It was as though she was hearing a language for the first time, hearing the sound but not the meaning.

Nooj forcefully shoved the sphere camera aside and turned to the other men on the team who had managed to bludgeon their targets to death and now stood openmouthed watching the drama before them.

"That's enough. The exercise is over. Paine, give me your sphere and I'll take it to headquarters and consult with the commanders. Get the orders for the next test. I shall assume we passed this one." He held out an imperious hand and Paine, without thinking, ejected the sphere and placed it in his palm.

When he had left on his self-imposed errand, the three remaining members gathered out of the heat and glare in the shadow of the tent.

"What was that all about?" Gippal asked of no one in particular.

"I can't understand," Paine mumbled, her head drooping. "He knew the trial involved a shortage of ammunition. Why did he wait 'til he was low and blunder into a place he must have know there were really dangerous fiends. He should have known better."

"He did that? That's not like Nooj." Gippal pounded a fist against the sand.

Baralai furrowed his brow. "I've heard rumours about something that might have a bearing here." He stopped and pressed his lips tightly together.

"Well, go on." Paine spat the words at him.

"Yeah. What d'ya know?" Gippal spoke over her. "Tell us anything you know."

The white haired man almost whispered, "There was talk in the temples about a heresy called 'Deathseeking'. I don't know much about it but the older priests used to whisper and laugh about a cult that exalted suicide. The members had to arrange to die in battle somehow and to not be obvious about it. I think that's what it was about but I could be wrong."

Paine's red eyes flared like internal flames. "You think Nooj is one of them? You think he wants to die? Why would somebody who's been though as much as he has want to give it all up now? He could just have laid down and quit before this. During the surgery to attach those prostheses for example."

Baralai spread his hands. "I'm just telling you what I've heard. Anybody got a better idea of why he did what he did and got so angry when he was stopped?"

"Exactly what did he do and you do, anyway?" Gippal asked Paine. "I didn't see the whole thing. Just got the impression he blew up at you for some reason."

"He ran out of ammunition like you guys and just dropped his gun and started walking into the jaws of that thing in front of him. I shot it - got lucky - and he exploded."

"Yeah. That I heard. I didn't know what you did to upset him." Gippal nodded and looked thoughtful. "'Lai may be right; he may be a Deathseeker. We've heard about those nut-cases too. In Al Bhed we call them Taydrcaagan. I don't know whether to trust him anymore or not. He's been a good leader so far, but ..."

"We can't be sure unless he tells us he's one of those ... nut-cases." Paine protested. "I say we try to paper over this and go on like it didn't happen. He has some odd habits and has had a lot of stress. We can't judge him by one incident; that's not fair."

That night, she was surprised when Nooj lay down beside her as though nothing had happened. He pulled her over to pillow on his broad chest as usual. Just as she was beginning to think he had forgotten the episode, unlikely as that seemed, he spoke.

"Paine, you must never again interfere with what I do in the midst of battle. I have my reasons for my actions and you must not get in my way. It could cause harm to come to you and I never want that. I am trained in the Warriors' Way and there are certain conventions which must not be broken. Do you understand?"

"No! I don't. Are you saying that I can't act to save your life like I did today?" She tried to move away but he held her firmly.

"That is exactly what I'm saying. I have to follow my own judgement and make my own decisions."

"Nooj, are you a Deathseeker?" She blurted out the question before she thought it through.

"Where did you hear that term?" He seemed shaken.

"Oh, I've been around and there's soldiers' gossip everywhere about all sorts of things." She did not want to implicate either Baralai or Gippal.

"It's a complicated issue and I'm not free to discuss it right now. Maybe later. Now, let's sleep. Tomorrow will be very busy and difficult. By the way, I brought back a fresh supply of ammunition. And, yes, we passed the test today - just by surviving. Now, you got the news before the others again." He seemed to laugh deep inside and turned his attention to her lips and breasts.

The night ended well and satisfactory, unlike the day. As she drifted off to sleep, Paine realized her journey to the heart of the mystery of Nooj had just begun.

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

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	3. Chapter 3

**LEVITICUS**

Rules, regulations, laws, orders, statutes, canons, decrees, fiats, commands! Paine's mind chattered with the noise of the thoughts pouring inside. She had managed to pursue her life largely unhampered by the demands of conventional requirements and to discover that the man she had thought most to be above the petty demands of such things was a willing slave to a set of codified edicts had chilled her to her core.

The days continued their regular path during the testing in the desert. As her job gradually became routine, Paine found her mind wandering more and more to what she was learning about Nooj. She had thought she knew him well and had become at ease with him before they left Mushroom Rock Road. Now new and disturbing facets of his character were being revealed. Maybe it was because he was engaged in formal battles now but the tenets of the Warriors' Code kept shaping his behaviour in ways which dismayed her. She had been a fighter all her adult life and had never heard of some of the rules he cited. She wondered if they were written down in a formal document or if they were merely ideas he had formulated for his own guidance, to justify his own actions. It would be like him to put together a code of draconian regulations all for himself alone. He seemed to take a perverse pleasure in torturing himself as if fate had not done a thorough enough job.

The incident with the grendel (or nashorn or whatever it had been) seemed to have receded into the past; it was not mentioned between them. When she thought back to what he had said after the event it still rankled just a bit. That tendency to proclaim rules which must be obeyed without question did not sit well with her.

To her own personal horror she found she was watching her step around him, fearful lest she break one or more of those sacrosanct and occult laws. This was not the way she chose to think of herself but she was resolved to treat him as carefully as she could during this time of great stress. However if she was to avoid offending him, she should at least know what he considered incorrect behaviour . So, one day when the men were out exploring the terrain, she sat down and wrote out the rules she was clear about.

Honour above all

Do not interfere in another Warrior's decisions

Never discuss one Warrior with another save during formal hearings

Do not boast

Lead without revealing personal fears and doubts

Always place your followers above yourself

Do not hesitate to act

Do not complain

With a slow and hesitant stylus, she wrote down one more.

Do not think too much lest that hinder decision making and action.

He probably would not have put it that way but let it stand for the moment. It seemed to accurately reflect the way he went about his business when making choices these days. Nine rules to be obeyed without question or hesitation.

And these were only the ones relating to being a Warrior. There were certainly others governing every aspect of his life and actions. For instance, there must be one dictating just how his mane of hair was arranged and how his clothing was to be worn. She was sure there were reams of others she had not uncovered but to her analytic mind, there were certain contradictions among even these she was aware of. Nooj did not seem to notice but followed the interpretation which caused him the most inconvenience. She sighed. He was a puzzle. He spoke little of his own past, although he was always asking her about her own and seemed genuinely interested to hear the answers. She had the feeling that in learning what he considered important and in observing how he chose amongst the various meanings of his rules, she was getting a picture of what his youth must have been like. She thought it must have been terribly constrained to make him hold so fast to this code of student restrictions in his maturity. She wondered if they were the only guides he had ever found for himself, if no person close to him had ever told him how to live. Trying to follow the convolutions of his reasoning and its causes was making her as confused as a lab rat in a maze.

Apart from that, Paine believed that working in partnership with Nooj in the desert, she had been integrated into his thinking and had become important in his life. That was enough for the time being.

The little group, so disparate from the very beginning was starting to coalesce. Each was finding his own place in the hierarchy of the four. Baralai was the spiritual source and moral voice. He also had demonstrated a gift for finding useful herbs and compounding medicines. Gippal could sniff out water and was the desert-habituated guide. Nooj was ... well, Nooj, the natural leader. And she? She kept the peace and was the glue which held them together in spite of their differences. They would survive the tests, of that she was becoming certain. But what would happen to them once the testing was over?

"Nooj, do you ever think about what's coming after we get back to Headquarters? After we pass this test?" She leaned against his good shoulder as they sat on the far side of the nightly campfire.

"If we pass the tests, we'll be full members of the Crimson Squad and be assigned to lead Crusader units." He did not sound very interested and spoke in a monotone.

"I wish we could stay together, us four."

"That's not what we're being trained for. You knew that when you signed on." The subject was closed and she accepted the rebuff. It had become harder to hold long conversations as the days progressed. Talking was difficult with a dry mouth and conversing made the membranes even more parched.

All the theoretical musing about what truly motivated Nooj fell away from the front of her attention as the desert trials became more punishing. It is difficult to entertain philosophical thought when one is perishing of thirst and broiling under the sun. And yet, Paine in a delirium of heat and exhaustion wondered if there were any circumstances under which Nooj would abandon his self-imposed discipline and permit himself to be entirely human. Was there any way he could discard his rigid exoskeleton of laws and yield to natural needs? Watching him, tight-lipped , limping forward on his sand befouled leg, she guessed not.

In the final testing, it was the lawless Gippal who saved them. His ability to sense water kept them going with the discovery of warm brackish seepage points and, finally, with the greatest find of all- a cool cave housing a spring of fresh water.

As was inevitable in hindsight, they had to contend with another crew for possession of this treasure. The fight and its aftermath led to the loss of a pair of lives, something the straggling and decimated field of candidates could ill afford. It all seemed phantasmagoric even at the time.

After the battle for control of the cave, Nooj proved the value of clearly understood unchanging standards. He permitted all those who were present to enter, drink until they were satisfied and fill their canteens with the sweet restorative water. When that was done, he declared the refuge the exclusive domain of his unit and met with no objections.

"How did you know we wouldn't have to fight them all again to keep possession of this place?" Paine asked when they were washed and tiredly huddled under their spread out sleeping bags.

"They learned they could trust me to be fair so there was no need to waste energy or risk death fighting for what they were freely given. Isn't that obvious?"

"Not to me, it wasn't. Besides wasn't most of it due to the fact they knew you and your reputation from the past?"

"Think about it. Where did my reputation come from?" He answered his own question. "If I had not acted with honour in all my dealings during all my career, there would be no reason to trust my word and actions now." He ran a hand down the curve of her hip. "Now you should begin to see the worth of living by a code. It saves a lot of effort in the long run and lets everybody know what to expect."

Later, when they had time to rest and reflect, she told Gippal and Baralai what Nooj had said.

"Is he right? It seemed to work in this case."

Gippal rolled his eye. "It may work but it's not my style. I've fought for everything I've ever got and this seems sorta ... sissy."

Baralai hid a snicker in his cupped hands. "Better not let Nooj hear you say that. I think he was brilliant. No sense all us candidates fighting amongst ourselves when the real enemy is ..." He firmly clapped his hands over his mouth and arched his brows.

"Those who are not to be named?" Paine teased.

"The ones with even fewer standards than me," Gippal confirmed. "The really lawless ones."

Thursday, January 17, 2008

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	4. Chapter 4

**NUMBERS**

"We had run from the Maesters' fury, taking the lesser known roads and bypaths, finally coming to rest in the wilderness in a little valley with trees and springs, a place where we could rest and regroup." Paine read the words she had set down and, disgusted by their pretentious sound, ripped the paper into confetti sized pieces. So much for starting a journal at this point in the adventure.

It was good to be back on the steady ground again. Even though she did not suffer from sea-sickness, as Nooj did, Paine found it comforting to walk on a surface which remained level and still beneath her step.

She had lost track of how long they had been back on the main land mass. Her own head had been affected by the events in the Den of Woe and she was no longer sure what had actually happened and what had been a fantasy. In an effort to reconstruct the time since they had left the boat, she tried to remember all the details which had filled the days.

Once they had disembarked, the four candidates had been appalled to see how few of the original mass still remained. Paine remembered a long column of aspirants marching to the wharf not that long before. Now the unit of which she was a part was the only one with its full complement. She had known the tests had been brutal but she had not realized how bad it had been. In addition, many of the surviving competitors looked worn, tired and prematurely aged. It was jolting to her to look at the remnants of those brave crews gathered on the side of the road like the sweepings from a devastating war.

When the pathetic group had been marched down the Mushroom Rock Road and ordered into the dark crevice of the sinister cave, Paine had watched with a dull, hollow, exhausted sense of dread. She felt instinctively that it was wrong to force soldiers so obviously unfit to venture into such mysterious peril.

She closed her eyes and tried to clearly visualize what had taken place in the darkness. All her effort was fruitless. The only things she could bring to mind were inchoate images, chaotically streaming without meaning or order. The memories were jagged, illuminated by the lightning flashes of pyre-flies. Her thoughts shuddered and shied away from the image of Nooj, his shape obscured by clouds of the ominous creatures, jerking spasmodically, almost falling as his cane beat an obscene rhythm on the stone paving beneath his feet. What had those insidious points of light done to him? He had been changed when he emerged from the Den of Woe.

Paine had grown accustomed to Nooj's responses. He was not inclined to change in his reaction to challenges. It was a part of his nature to stick with what had been proven to work in the past. Now, unexpectedly, he was no longer predictable. He seemed unfocused, drifting, unable or unwilling to take a firm stand or exercise his normal leadership of the unit.

She thought he must have been like this right after Sin maimed him. She saw his gaze become vacant and distant and his conversation fade away into silence. He continued to cling to her in the night, seeming to seek oblivion in her body. She gave herself to him freely, indeed eagerly, offering him a guide back to himself.

Since Nooj shared her bed, there was no disruption in their mutual passion. However, he no longer talked to her about his plans or discussed the problems facing them. It was as though he had no thought for the future or had walled off the various parts of his life and had severed all communication between those divisions.

Paine tried to be patient and supportive. If he had really been damaged by the pyre-flies, some way must be found to mend him. What must have happened in the Den of Woe was unheard of in her experience. Had the events there been the reason their team and theirs alone had survived that trial?

At last her endlessly circling thoughts drove her to talk with Gippal and Baralai. They had tried to recapture the easy companionship of their early days during the try-outs for the Crimson Squad, but there was always that difference. The linchpin of their small band was broken and so everything had changed. The air between them was unaccustomedly awkward.

"What do you think happened in the Cave?" She hesitantly broached the tender subject.

"Damn' f'I know." Gippal tossed his small knife over and over, aimlessly embedding its point in the dirt between his feet. "I couldn't see a damn' thing and just wanted to get out."

"Didn't you see all the bodies lying around in the inner rooms?" She pressed him to admit what he had experienced.

"Not really. Just some heaps of stuff I kept stumbling over. I saw the pyre-flies when they swarmed ... you know." He ducked his head. "You see anything, 'Lai?"

"Yes. I could see Nooj very sharply when they went to him and then I couldn't see anything except him swaying. I caught him and held him up. I can still feel the flies crawling on my hands where I touched him." The younger man shook himself as though he was throwing off the horrors. "They're heavier than they look. You think they're just like fire sparks, but they're not."

"What do you think they did to Nooj?" Paine was persistent.

Baralai seemed to turn inward and back to his life as a priest-to-be. "I'm not sure but it feels like they sucked out his soul and left something else in its place. He doesn't act like he used to and there doesn't seem to be anything there. He won't talk. Yes, I know he never talked very much but now he just doesn't hear when I speak to him and he doesn't see me unless I shake him or something. He's in another world like some of the hermits who used to take up cells in the temples and spend their days meditating."

"He's not always like that. Sometimes he's just like he used to be." Gippal insisted.

"I never said he was always the same. He used to be steady. Now he's not. I don't know what to expect from him anymore."

"Well, I'll tell you what I think." The Al Bhed spoke firmly. "I think this started before we went into that cave. I think it started when he saw how many were killed in the desert. He's a commander and it hurts them when they lose troops, at least that's what he told me when we used to talk about soldiering. I think he was already damaged when we went into the cave and when he saw so many dead bodies in there, he just gave up."

Paine challenged him, "I thought you said you couldn't see all the bodies. How could he see them if you couldn't?"

"He's better than me. Better at almost everything. I think he saw them all dead and just couldn't bear the thought of all of them killed. He cared about the troops, not just us but all of them. You saw how he let the whole gang fill their water bottles and set it up so only a couple got killed instead of a whole war breaking out. He tried to keep as many alive as he could and then when he saw what had happened, he broke." Gippal folded his arms across his chest and stared truculently at the other two. "He had too much to bear and he broke."

Before Paine could respond, Baralai spoke up. "I agree with you about his concern for the dead and the injured but I don't think he broke. I think he's undergoing a spiritual crisis and may be preparing to turn to another way of life. I won't be surprised if he goes into the wilderness and seeks a life of solitude and celibacy."

Paine looked down at her enlaced fingers and a small smile tweaked her lips. That was not one of the decisions Nooj was likely to make. She glanced around at the two young males earnestly waiting for her reaction.

"I appreciate your ideas, guys. No disrespect to you, 'Lai, but I have to go with Gippal on this one. Nooj is broken and I have to find some way to mend him again."

The two men looked respectfully at their companion. Then Gippal, who could not bear silence for long, said softly, "You know him best, Doctor P. If anybody can mend him, it'll be you. We're here to help if you need us, don't forget that."

Baralai nodded solemnly and, without consultation, the three joined hands and wordlessly pledged their joint resolve to make things whole again.

Friday, February 29, 2008

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	5. Chapter 5

**DEUTERONOMY**

When Paine woke for the first time after the horror at the Travel Agency, it was to one clear, if bitter, thought, "So, my love, where's all your honour and decency now? What code permits you to shoot your friends in the back? Why? Why?" She bit down hard, clenching her jaw, unwilling to cry. She could not remember clearly but a certain stiffness in her face and swelling in her eyelids made her believe she had cried too much already.

She hungered for word of Gippal and Baralai but could see no one to ask. It appeared she was alone in this strange place. However, she would worry about that later. Since she had survived, she had hopes that the two young men lived also. Still, if they did not, she was prepared to mourn them and move on. She had been forced to become a realist early in her life.

She steeled herself to concentrate in spite of the disorienting surroundings in which she found herself,. She must remain focused on what to do. One thing she had learned from her time with Nooj was the value of remaining true to one's standards. She would spend a few days reflecting on what she intended to do with her life and how she would ensure that she was not again distracted. The first rule in her personal code would be - she thought of it as carved into the hard stone of her new self, her own temple - NEVER GIVE ONE'S HEART FULLY TO ANOTHER.

She repeated it again and again, refining the words until they expressed just what she meant. It was not perfect but it would do for a start. She added a pair of corollaries:

1. Never give one's heart fully to another.

2. Trust one's own mind and judgement alone.

3. Guard one's privacy carefully and do not expose one's vulnerabilities.

These points decided on and repeated in her mind until she was sure she would remember them, she fell asleep like one suddenly entering a dark tunnel where everything was blank and still.

Then when she woke again, she was again thrown into the maelstrom of the past. What had gone so terribly wrong? When had it all begun to dissolve? Through the exercise of more will power than she had known she possessed, she managed not to cry and added another item to her set of rules to govern her new life.

Never let them make you cry.

This time she became aware of the Healers who bustled around her, putting potions to her lips and making ritual gestures over her body. There were other, less exalted, persons who changed the dressing on her wound. When she first caught a glimpse of that area, she realized that she would have a nasty scar for some time, maybe for the rest of her life. A parting gift from the man she loved, she thought sardonically.

When she managed to catch one of her tenders not fully occupied with healing duties, she demanded, "Where am I?" She was fairly certain she was not in the back room of the Travel Agency.

The white-clad attendant smoothed her brow with a hand meant to soothe. "Oh good, you're finally fully with us. You're in the Healing House just outside Luca. You've been here for more than a week and we were starting to wonder who you are and how you were hurt. Can you talk now and tell us? Do you want me to call a senior staff member to hear your story?"

"No, no. I need to ask some questions before I answer any. Was I alone when I was brought here and who brought me?"

The other frowned as she thought. "So far as I can remember you were by yourself and you were left here by a merchant who found you nearly dead at the side of the road. He hired a Hover and rushed you here because he knew about this place and thought we would give you the best care."

"No one else was brought in about the same time with a wound like mine?"

"Noooo. Just you. Now you get some rest, honey. I'll tell the Head Healer you're doing better." She adjusted the pillow and straightened the sheets before tiptoeing out of the room.

Paine was confused. Was it possible the merchant who rescued her had not seen Baralai and Gippal? They had fallen into the undergrowth at the edge of the clearing while she had been near the highway when Nooj had shot her. What had happened to Nooj? Had he left them for dead without even checking or had he taken his own life at the end? If so, where was his body? It would have been like Nooj to go off alone to a hidden place to kill himself if that was what he had chosen to do. Her head hurt and the weakness which pervaded her limbs made her angry with herself.

She remembered. She, Baralai and Gippal had jointly sworn to try to rescue their team captain, Nooj, from whatever had changed him during the Den of Woe exercise. Since she was closest to him, it fell principally on her shoulders to bring him back. For a time, she thought she was succeeding. He began to confide in her again and was at the forefront in making plans as to how the little group should proceed. It was he who proposed that they split up so that they could not be so easily identified by those who hunted them. Four traveling individually would be less noticeable than four of such markedly unique characteristics journeying together.

"_I don't want to split up. Not from you anyway." She laid her head on his chest and felt the reassuring throb of his heart. So long as she could hear that sound, she was content. He still lived._

"_I'm not happy about leaving you, either. But we have to make it harder to track us. You know the Maesters would have us killed if they could find us." He stroked her back and nuzzled her hair._

"_Nooj, will we be together again once this is over?"_

"_I promise. Once we're past this danger and I can offer you a safe haven. How do you think I'd feel if my selfishness got you killed? I'm the most recognizable of us all and if they caught us together, we'd both be slaughtered." _

_She did not dare ask him if the choice to go separate ways meant he would play the hare to the Yevonite hounds and sacrifice himself to buy the other three safety. The answer was too likely to make her grieve more than she was already mourning. _

_Instead, she touched his body in the way she knew he most enjoyed and resolved to find what comfort she could in his arms this one last night. _

To her fury, she found her face wet with tears when she drew back from her remembering. Unable to control them, she let the sorrow and loss spill from her until she was limp and drained. No more! She would not let these thoughts overwhelm her again. She would look to the future and forget the past and ... Nooj. She would forget him entirely as though he had never existed. Then she wondered again if he was dead. Had he shot them all and at last turned the gun on himself? If he was afraid they would all be captured and tortured before being killed, he would have thought it much better to kill them and himself cleanly before that could happen. He would not have warned them but would have done it quickly and efficiently. That would be so like him, to take upon himself the duty and responsibility of saving them from the agonies which would surely await them at the hands of the Maesters and their servants. He had always been the decisive one, the one who would bear the burdens others shirked. The more she thought about it, the more she convinced herself that that the truth must lie close to the story she had constructed. It was the only explanation that made sense. There was no other reason for him to have shot them. That gave her a measure of comfort but a cold hand continued to squeeze her heart and she could not draw a full breath.

Time passed. Her body steadily healed but not her spirit. After a few days, she was permitted to leave her bed and her room and walk down the corridor to the little garden in the center of the building. There she sat and thought about what she must do next. She had given the Healers a false name and had told them she had been shot by a stranger who was trying to rob her. To any other queries, she had given evasive answers or none at all.

The garden was a peaceful place, abloom with the flowers of the season and plentifully supplied with benches shaded by fragrant trees. It had been specially designed to nourish the soul and bring comfort to the troubled. The birds and little insects busily going about their affairs without heed for the giant looming in their midst inspired her. She needed to move on with her life since it had been spared to her. Her companions were dead or vanished. She had no illusions on that score. Her practical nature began to reassert itself. There was no use in brooding on what might have been. She must turn her face to the sun of a new day. She had been wounded now she was healing. That part was past.

Carefully, she reviewed her rules, guarding against the memory of Nooj and how he had relied on such guidelines. Yes, these would do to start with. She had no doubt she would find others to add as she explored the world in which she must now live. It was not the same world of only a few weeks ago. Without the team everything had changed and felt strange to her as though something vital had been amputated. Of course, it was always possible for her to try to reach some of those she had known before the Crimson Squad experience. It was possible and she would consider her options but for now, she needed to test her own inward strength. She thought she would try solitude for a while; it had seemed to work for Nooj. She smiled bleakly, gazing across the garden with unseeing eyes.

It had been a long time since she had been so alone. With a grim smile and a sense of taking a firm step toward her future, she mentally added another law to the list -

5. Be your own best company.

Friday, February 1, 2008

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	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I have called this Epilogue although it is not within the strict definition of the word. Frankly, I do not know exactly what to call it. Chronologically, it fits immediately before "Deuteronomy" but stylistically, it is entirely outside the structure of the other chapters of Pentateuch. It came about because of a sudden insight given me by a writer who has been a collaborator and an inspiration. So, with that long-winded introduction, here it is.

**EPILOGUE:**

**ONE STEP AT A TIME**

Nooj felt a strange sensation pass through his body, like a shock which entered at his head and bled away at his feet. His vision was dimmed and he looked around him searching for the tall towers which normally grounded the electrical storms which raged on the Thunder Plains. They must be down again, he thought hazily as he stared into the threatening clouds which seemed just out of his reach. He had been warned against venturing onto the Plains if the towers were not working. His metallic limbs made him a target for the charges which permeated the atmosphere here and dying this way was no part of his plans. How had he gotten here? The last thing he could remember was camping with his three companions near the Travel Agency half way down the Mi'ihen Highroad. Had he lost track of time and distance again? That seemed to have been happening more often of late. His right shoulder ached for some reason and there was something heavy in his hand. He looked down and saw, as if through a fog, the shape of a large gun. Opening his fingers, he let it fall to the ground. It fell slowly and created a cloud of dust when it landed. This could not be the Thunder Plains; that area was never dusty. The constantly high humidity and frequent storms prevented that. So where was he and what had happened?

It was becoming lighter, as if the sun was emerging from behind a bank of clouds. He could see more clearly and gradually recognized his surroundings. There was a small flat overlook near the Travel Agency and he knew the terrain, having been there many times before. He staggered and leaned more heavily on the cane he gripped in his black-gloved left hand

An object lay near him, almost touching his feet. It took him an impossibly long time to make his mind accept what his eyes saw. The object before him was a body, bleeding into the dust. It lay half on its side, limbs splayed like a discarded puppet, with its face turned toward the ground, eyes closed and features lax.

"Paine? Paine!" Nooj stooped to touch her but drew his hand back before it could make contact. This was not real. It was, had to be, a bad dream. He had had such dreams before and had wakened himself when they became too intense. "Paine!"

There was no awakening. Clumsily, he dropped to his knees beside the crumpled figure of the woman who shared so much of his life. With exquisite care, he turned her head so that he could see her full face. She was unconscious and at first he thought she was dead. Then he saw the slow movement of her chest and heard the soft rasp of the air passing through her half-parted lips. Frantically, he dug into the pouch swinging against his hip, thrusting his hand past the coins there to find a single potion nestling in the very bottom. Taking pains not to spill even a drop, he uncorked the small bottle and pressed it against the mouth of his lover. Slowly, the healing fluid trickled past her tongue and he could see the painful motion of her throat as she swallowed the liquid. He thought he could detect an improvement in her colour but it was transitory and the blood continued to seep from the small wound beneath her left breast. He caught up his loose sleeve and, ripping a section of the fabric away, tried to staunch the flow but the improvised bandage quickly became sodden and the oozing did not stop. He looked at his hand dumbly. It was stained and sticky with her blood.

Paine could not be dying. A cloud of unreality covered him and he saw his own motions as though they were the actions of another, alien, being. How had this happened? He could not deny the evidence of his own eyes. He had been holding a gun when he returned to awareness of himself and here Paine lay on the ground, her life draining from a wound which could have only been made by a bullet. It was inescapable; he had shot her. He, who valued her as the most precious thing he had ever known - he, who had no care for his own life but would protect hers against all perils - he had done this thing. She was the reason he had not surrendered to his enemies and met his fate already. Why had he tried to kill her? It had to be an error but the proof was there and he could not fault it.

Across the clearing, half hidden in the tall, rank grass, two more bodies lay, bullet wounds in their backs, unnoticed by the distraught Nooj who had eyes only for the woman whose existence defined his. He could not conceive of a world without her presence. The two of them were alone together in the confines of his consciousness.

Then from his memory there surfaced the clear image of a place of healing, a large establishment near Luca where no one was turned away and few were lost to death. She had to be taken there. They would mend her and she would be again the vibrant, loving woman who was his lodestar. She had to live. Beauty and courage could not be permitted to vanish without a fight. He would save her. He could save her.

Still kneeling, he attached his cane to his belt with a bit of webbing and, gathering Paine in his arms, painfully levered himself to a standing position more by will-power than by physical strength. He was focused on one thing: that Healing House on the outskirts of Luca had become his Grail. He must get her there as quickly as possible, no matter what it took. He held her more closely, cradling her against his chest. She seemed as insubstantial as a dream as though her spirit had already fled, leaving behind only an empty shell. She was as pale as death itself and he was frightened when he looked at her.

Without even glancing toward the Travel Agency, he set out around the gentle curve which led to Luca. The Mi'ihen Highway was long and regularly traveled so the sight of a tall limping man carrying a bleeding woman in his arms was certain to be noticed by others along the way. However, Nooj could think of nothing save the necessity of reaching the place where Paine could be helped. The distance to Luca and the possibility of being recognized were equally absent from his mind. For once in his life, logic had no place in his calculations. As he walked, the burden which had seemed so light at the beginning became increasingly heavy as his strength, already sapped by the parasite he did not know he harboured, waned.

Yet he struggled on, lurching more grotesquely as his step faltered. His mind clearing, his usual rationality began to assert itself. As he walked, he repeatedly analyzed how he could have done such a thing. He knew he had been losing periods of time in which he could not remember where he had been and what he had done. This must have been one of those interludes. What had happened during the gap to make him harm Paine in such a way? If he could do something like this, what else was he capable of? It would be better if he chose to terminate his life at once to atone for his crime. But he had the burden in his arms to consider. What amends he could make had to be made to her. He loved her and must save her if he was not to go mad from grief. The admission of his love for this woman seemed so natural he wondered why he had fought against the acceptance of that truth for such a long time. A sort of trance settled upon him and he trudged on, one awkward step after another, moving like an automaton, Paine clutched to his chest.

He had to pause to rest at ever shortening intervals. Afraid that if he sat down or even crouched he would be unable to stand again, he was forced to lean against the posts of the fence which separated the road from the wild land on either side. Each time he started walking again it was slower and with more pain. He was about to consider turning back to the Agency to seek help even though he had gone nearly half the distance to his destination when he saw ahead of him in a clearing the unmistakable shapes of a pair of hover-craft. It was common practice for itinerate merchants and the like to set up temporary services along the road and extort huge fees from desperate travelers. If this was what it looked like, it was the oasis he needed so much. Money did not concern him; he had more gil than stamina remaining.

The Al Bhed who had been getting ready to pack up his wares was happy to see what he thought was a road-weary customer approaching. It was not until the figure turned into the open-air trading post that he saw the woman the man was carrying. With a cry of surprise, the merchant ran to help but Nooj would not relinquish Paine to the man's outstretched arms.

"Is that hover for rent?"

"Yes, where do you need to go?"

"Luca. Quickly."

"My son will drive you. Naadal! Get the new hover ready!" The merchant looked more carefully at his customer and saw what he had thought to be a sword swinging at the man's side was in fact a cane. A memory clicked in his mind when he spotted the prostheses which were obviously of Al Bhed design. He knew only one man in the world had the use of that type so far. And that man was a wanted fugitive. The bulletin had come down just before he left the city to try his luck on the highway.

"I think you might need a robe to keep yourself and the lady warm when the hover accelerates." The merchant's words were reasonable but the look he gave Nooj told the exhausted man that he had been recognized. Furthermore, it told him the Al Bhed was offering as much help as he could. A disguise would be necessary if he and Paine were to escape capture and death. He silently cursed himself for not thinking of that before.

"Thank you, do you have one my size?"

The merchant burrowed into a pile of garments heaped on a table. "Here. This should fit well enough." He held out a voluminous grey cloak with a hood and caped sleeves. "Let me help you on with it." He carefully slipped it over the shoulders of the taller man and even more carefully worked the sleeves into place without disturbing Nooj's grip on Paine. "There. That should do."

"Reach into the pouch on my belt and take what you need for your costs."

The man put his hand into the leather bag and took out a small number of gil. "This is enough. I'll throw in a potion if you want. It looks like the lady can use it." He held out the small vial and, at Nooj's nod, uncorked it and placed it to Paine's lips. Much ran out the sides of her mouth but at least some tricked down her throat and the two men could see her weakly swallow.

With some effort, Nooj managed to mount the waiting hover and settle into the seat with an audible sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir. Your kindness will not be forgotten. I hope someday to repay you properly."

"Don't think about it. Just stay free and keep fighting the Maesters," the merchant spoke softly. "You and the ones like you are the hope of my race."

Once the machine was on the road, speeding toward Luca, Nooj wrapped Paine closely in the folds of the robe and adjusted her more comfortably in his embrace. "My love, my love, stay alive for a little longer. Help is getting closer. You can do it. You're the strong one, the one who won't give up. You never have." He brushed her hair with his lips and placed his right hand against her breast so that he could feel the rise and fall as her breathing continued. That gave him hope and he noted he had synchronized his own respirations with hers as though by living himself he could keep her alive.

When the towers of Luca began to take shape on the horizon, he started looking for the Place of Healing. It stood by itself, a sprawling white structure in a walled parkland just outside the city proper.

"This is the place." Nooj called to Naadal. "Thank you; you made excellent time."

The young man brought the vehicle to a halt and hurried around to help his client from the seat. Then he ran ahead to pull the bell rope at the gate of the building. A white garbed attendant appeared almost at once. "Are you in need of help?"

Nooj nodded and silently held out the unconscious woman. As if by magic, a wheeled stretcher arrived with orderlies at either end. They attempted to take Paine in order to place her on the conveyance but Nooj limped over and, with his own hands, laid her on the bed and straightened her body so that she was properly positioned, her arms at her sides, her dignity intact. Only then did he permit them to draw a sheet up to her chin and begin to roll her inside the hospital.

The gate attendant pulled lightly at his sleeve as he watched his beloved disappear from his sight. "Would you like to tell me how the lady came to be injured? And where you will be staying? And your name? And her name?"

With a visible effort, he forced himself back to the moment. "Oh." He recovered himself and recognized that he must take steps to shield them both from the tentacles of the Maesters. "I don't know how she was hurt. I found her lying alongside the road and at first thought she was dead. Here, will this be enough to pay for her care?" He drew out an overflowing handful of gold coins and spilled them into the palms of the other. "If you need more, I have it. She must live."

"No, this is more than sufficient. We'll do our best for her. There's no need to worry. You're a good man to care this much about a stranger. Your name is ...?"

Turning away, Nooj blurted out the first name to enter his mind. "I am called Aquelev the Merchant." Loosing his cane from his belt, he pulled up the hood of the cloak and limped off toward the city. He would find a place to hide and plan ... and to be near her - just in case.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

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End file.
